They say first impressions last. My first impression of Santoni's relatively new boutique in Shangri La's new wing was somewhat perplexing. One the one hand, the shoes were gorgeous, as you'd expect from a store of Santoni's reputation. Browsing the display of oxfords and derbies was a delight, and the store was lit dark enough to feign atmosphere but bright enough to inspect both grain and stitching. On the other hand, the staff were appallingly lacking in knowledge. After asking whether they had wholecuts, I was directed to a pair of brogues. While it's not the worst offense in the world, a shop in this price range should definitely educate their staff about their products. The shoes were beautiful, but I didn't buy anything because it turned out they didn't have wholecuts in stock. But it took 2 rounds in the store to figure that out on my own when a salesperson should have known. read more